WEBVTT
REPORTER: NOW IT'S THE
POSSIBILITY THAT SOMEONE COULD
WALK INSIDE AND HURT THEM.
BUT WE'VE LEARNED FLORIDA MAY
NOT BE MAKING THE GRADE WHEN IT
COMES TO GETTING OUR KIDS READY
IF AN ACTIVE SHOOTER WERE TO GET
ONTO CAMPUS.
JENNIFER LYNN OF LONGWOOD ALWAYS
WANTED TO BE A TEACHER.
>> I JUST LOVED KIDS, WORKING
WITH KIDS, I LOVE MAKING AN
IMPACT ON THEM.
SHE SPENT SIX YEARS IN THE
ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL
DISTRICT, INCLUDING AT LAKE GEM
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NESTLED IN
PINE HILLS, AN AREA FIGHTING A
CRIME PROBLE
>> WE WERE ON LOCKDOWN, LAY DOWN
PROBABLY TWO TO THREE TIMES A
MONTH, NOT DRILLS.
ACTUAL FULL ON LOCKDOWN, LAY
DOWN
A LOCKDOWN HAPPENS WHEN SCHOOL
OFFICIALS BELIEVE THERE'S A
THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF STUDENT
AND STAFF.
MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS REFER TO
IT AS CODE RED OR CODE YELLOW.
IT CAN BREAK DOWN TO SEVERAL
THINGS, INCLUDING POLICE
ACTIVITY NEAR THE SCHOOL OR AN
ACTIVE SHOOTER ON CAMPUS.
>> TIME IS CHANGING.I FEEL LIKE
WE REALLY NEED TO STEP UP OUR
GAME.
WE LOOKED AT FOUR SCHOOL
DISTRICTS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA.
VOLUSIA, BREVARD, SEMINOLE
COUNTY.
>> WE JUST THINK IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR THE STAFF AND THE
STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TO
DO IN THE EVENT OF A REAL
CRISIS.
DR. WALT GRIFFIN IS THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SEMINOLE
COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
HE ONLY REQUIRES TWO LOCKDOWN
DRILLS PER YEAR IN HIS DISTRIC
THEY APPRECIATE WE'RE BEING
PROACTIVE BY DOING SOMETHING
THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO.
THERE'S NO LAW REQUIRING SCHOOLS
TO EVEN PRACTICE THESE TYPES OF
DRILLS
BREVARD COUNTY DOES NOT REQUIRE
IT, THEY LET SITE ADMINISTRATORS
DECIDE IF IT'S NEEDED.
VOLUSIA COUNTY HAS A MINIMUM OF
ONE DRILL PER YEAR, WHERE AS
ORANGE COUNTY CONDUCTS FOUR
DRILLS ANNUALLY.
SEMINOLE COUNTY HAS TWO.
>> IT'S RATHER TIME CONSUMING
BECAUSE IT'S THE EVENT THAT
ACTUALLY TAKES PLACE BUT THEN A
LOT OF DEBRIEFING AFTER TO MAKE
SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT
TO DO.
IT MAY BE TIME CONSUMING, BUT
NUMBERS SHOW THEY'RE NEEDED.
WE DISCOVERED IN THE LAST 5
YEARS, VOLUSIA COUNTY HAD 57
LOCKDOWNS.
BREVARD HAD 97
ORANGE COUNTY HAD MORE THAN 30
SEMINOLE COUNTY ONLY TRACKED THE
LAST TWO YEARS.
THEY REPORTED 11 SCHOOLS THAT
WENT ON LOCKDOWN.
SAFETY IS NUMBER ONE WHEN IT
COMES TO CHILDREN.
BUT ARE SCHOOL DISTRICTS DOING
ENOUGH BY ONLY PRACTING THIS
TYPE OF DRILL ONCE OR TWICE A
YEAR?
EVERYTOWN RESEARCH DOT ORG HAS
BEEN KEEPING TRACK OF SCHOOL
SHOOTINGS ACROSS THE U.S. SINCE
2013.
IN FLORIDA ALONE, THEY
SIX OF THOSE WERE IN CENTRAL
FLORID
>> FOR THIS TEACHER, SHE SAYS
IT'S NOT IF ANOTHER SCHOOL
SHOOTING HAPPENS HERE AT HOME,
BUT WHEN.
WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR REASONING
AND OUR RULES TO PROTECT OUR
CHILDREN.
ANGELA: WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU
THINK.
ARE SCHOOLS DOING ENOUGH TO KEEP
YOUR KIDS SAFE?
FIND ME ON FACEBOOK BY SEARCHING

"We just think it's really important for the staff and the students to understand what to do in the event of a real crisis," Seminole County School District Superintendent Dr. Walt Griffin said.

Griffin only requires two lockdown drills per year in his district.

"They appreciate we're being proactive by doing something that we don't have to do," Griffin said.

There is no law requiring schools to practice these types of drills.

Brevard County does not require it. They let site administrators decide if it is needed.

Volusia County has a minimum of one drill per year, whereas Orange County conducts four drills annually.

Seminole County has two.

"It's rather time consuming because it's the event that actually takes place, but then a lot of debriefing after to make sure everyone understands what to do," Griffin said.

It may be time consuming, but numbers show they are needed.

WESH 2 News discovered that in the last five years, Volusia County had 57 lockdowns, Brevard County had 97, Orange County had more than 300 and Seminole County only tracked the last two years and reported 11 schools that went on lockdown.

"Safety is No. 1 when it comes to children," Griffin said.

But are school districts doing enough by only practicing this type of drill once or twice a year?

Everytownresearch.org has been keeping track of school shootings across the U.S. since 2013. In Florida alone, they discovered 17 school shootings; six of those were in Central Florida.